The Miami Heat showed some impressive signs of life in their season opener against the Orlando Magic, but they found out firsthand that old habits are tough to break. Rebounding issues (when it mattered most) and the lack of a defined closer ultimately cost the Heat in Orlando.
The Heat fell to 0-1 after a 125-121 loss to open the season.
Wendell Carter Jr. had four crucial offensive rebounds, and the Heat had too many unforced turnovers and empty offensive possessions down the stretch. After taking a comfortable lead in the fourth, the Heat were outscored 24-12 in the final six minutes of the game.
Norman Powell finished with a team-high 28 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points, and Davion Mitchell added 16. Bam Adebayo tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds on a rough shooting night.
Orlando’s big three of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane proved to be too much for the Heat to overcome, finishing with a combined 71 points on the night.
The Heat’s impressively hot start
The Heat started out of the gate hot and continued to impress offensively for much of the game. Much was made about the concern surrounding the Heat’s offense heading into the start of the season, especially with Tyler Herro sidelined for the first few weeks, but that didn’t stop Miami on opening night.
The Heat set the tone early, scoring 39 points in the first quarter. Controlling much of the game on the offensive end of the floor, it was the team’s 3-point shooting that got the team off to such a good start.
Coming in as a huge question mark for the team, Miami made five of their first six 3’s to open the game. It certainly set the tone for much of the night on that end of the floor.
Until, of course, everything fell apart for the Heat late in the fourth quarter. After taking an eight-point lead midway through the final frame, many of the Heat’s fatal flaws of last year came creeping right back.
The Heat have no closer, and their lack of size quickly caught up with them. The Heat could not hold on to the lead in crunch time, and it was a familiar story for the Heat. Last season, the Heat were just 14-28 in clutch games.
They’re now 0-1 to start this year off.
The Heat will now travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Friday, before their home opener Sunday against the New York Knicks.
